Mahela Jayawardene - The Sri Lankan colossus

Sometimes, as a writer, you sit back and marvel at sportsmen who can turn around games in the most improbable manner. When a sportsman scales unparalleled peaks, it feels like an epic written by a genius, who has left gigantic footprints on his way to reaching that epoch-making moment of his career.

Mahela Jayawardene, is one such cricketer who has scaled heavenly heights, over a career spanning 17 years. When he is on song, the flourishing beauty of his silken smooth batsmanship is akin to a skillful painter painting beautiful spring that is dotted with an array of joyous colours.

Put through the lens, Jayawardene amassed 11,814 runs at an average of shade under 50. However, you don't just judge a cricketer by looking at his numbers. For over a decade, Jayawardene was like an atlas, who many times stood tall on a burning deck especially, on subcontinental tracks.

If Jayawardene's double century in 1999 in the Asian Test Championship against India at Colombo (SSC) showcased that he belongs to the big stage then, his match-saving knock at Lord's against England in 2006 washed away the dreams of hosts winning the Test match. During the same year, Jayawardene, and his good mate, Kumar Sangakkara, played with a cloak of invincibility to stitch a record-breaking partnership of 624 runs against South Africa at Colombo (SSC).

In 2012, when England came to the shores of Sri Lanka, James Anderson, and Graeme Swann reigned supreme, but one man flourished in face of relentless pressure from the duo. With his lissom grace and surgical-like wrists, the fulcrum of Sri Lanka's line-up, Jayawardene, pierced through minutest of gaps. It was Jayawardene's 180 in the first Test at Galle that changed the course of the game.

Lest we also forget that Jayawardene was a fine captain in his own right. The tactical acumen of Jayawardene was second to none. Sri Lanka, reached the final of ICC World Cup 2007 under his captaincy, only to lose to the mighty Australian setup. In the semi-final, it was Jayawardene's finesse and elan that put paid to Stephen Fleming's ambition of taking New Zealand to their first ever World Cup final. Even in 2011 World Cup final, against India, Jayawardene, notched up a brilliant century.

A sportsman's life is also a microcosm of the hardships one has to face to reach mountainous peaks. Jayawardene, grew up in a grief stricken country with full of never-ending conflicts and bomb blasts that killed thousands. Jayawardene's brother died of brain tumour. However, here is a sportsman who has been able to convalesce every-time from the hardships and push the envelope in terms of performance.

When Mahela Jayawardene played his last Test against Pakistan, we all yearned for that one final virtuoso performance that would bedazzle and bewitch the connoisseur. In the second innings, he looked set for a big one at his happy hunting ground, Colombo (SSC), before Saeed Ajmal ended his stay at the crease. Yet, one can only shower Jayawardene with encomiums for his contribution to Sri Lankan cricket.

Jayawardene, will grace the world stage for one final time during the ICC World Cup 2015. Hopefully, he can act as a spark of inspiration and help his country to lift the coveted trophy.

Sri Lanka are hoping to give former captain Mahela Jayawardene a memorable farewell by winning the last four Tests of his career against South Africa and Pakistan, skipper Angelo Mathews said on Tuesday.